What are one-minute papers?

One-minute papers, sometimes called exit tickets, are an opportunity to receive feedback from students to gauge their understanding of the material as well as a metacognitive practice for students to reflect on their learning. At the end of class, students are asked to take one minute to respond to the following two questions:

1. What is the most important thing you learned today?
2. What is the muddiest point still remaining at the conclusion of today’s class?

How can you use one-minute papers in your course?

One-minute papers can be used to help both instructors and students.

Instructors can use the feedback as a formative assessment to evaluate student learning. It can be useful to see what students consider to be the most valuable thing learned as well as to see where students are struggling or could use further explanation. This can inform course design for future semesters as well as highlight content that may need to be reviewed either in section or during the next lecture.

For students, this simple activity can help form lasting memories as well as serve as an opportunity to check their own understanding. They may notice areas they need to revisit in the textbook, recognize what they know, and what they need to learn. Additionally, it provides students that may be less comfortable asking their questions in class an opportunity to raise concerns.

What results can you expect from incorporating one-minute papers into your course?

This technique encourages active learning as students are expected to participate in and evaluate what they have learned. Students that write one-minute papers at the end of their classes reported that the activity helps them to connect key ideas to prior knowledge and how to apply classroom concepts. This technique is useful for students of all skill levels and can support student study habits by modelling important study skills.

Who can help if you’re interested in incorporating one-minute papers into your course?

For more information on one-minute papers, please consult the following materials:

One-Minute Paper: Student Perception of Learning Gains

The One-Minute Paper: Some Empirical Findings

A Review of the One-Minute Paper

If you would like to explore how you could use this in your course, please reach out to the Center for Teaching for assistance and guidance on how best to implement these activities.